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Food waste is a growing worldwide concern due to its negative social, economic and environmental implications. Nearly half of all food waste occurs at the household level, making consumers a key target for waste reduction efforts. However, despite the recent surge of interest in food waste reduction strategies, there is still a need for studies that examine the causes of food waste in Canada, particularly from a household perspective. The goal of this study is to determine the relationship between family food skills and purchasing routines on the amount of food waste that a household produces. Food skills were reported via a survey, food receipt data was collected to determine food purchasing patterns, and food waste data was directly measured by the study team. The data was analyzed using bivariate and multivariate methods. The results suggest that households that spend more on groceries also have higher levels of waste and that a busier household actually has less waste.